Chris Harris' Shoulder Injury

Chris Harris had a shoulder injury that will relegate him to the nickel back role, while Bradley Roby ascends to the starting lineup. It has apparent that Harris was injured during the Steelers game as he was not able to be his normal physical self with receivers.

He only played a smattering of snaps in the second half, only coming in on third down or obvious passing downs. Hopefully before the AFC Championship game, he will take painkillers that will allow him to be effective for the limited amount of snaps he will be on the field.

Luckily, against the Patriots, the Broncos don't need two lockdown corners because they do not have star receivers on the outside. Gronk will be the main focus for the defense. If they are able to contain him, then the rest should fall in place.

I would be more worried if wasn't for Talib locking down one side. He will be able to take on Edelman, Amendola and Martin with no problem. Edelman only runs a couple of routes and doesn't usually go long so might have some play making opportunities when they line up one on one.

Many non-Bronco fans don't know about him or don't think that he is that good because he is not a starter, but they are sorely mistaken. Roby would be starting on 75% of the teams in the league and maybe even more. There should not be much of a drop off in production when he takes the field on Sunday. Roby, like Harris can lock his man up without much of a thought so, Harris' limited availability shouldn't change the scheme at all. The scheme will focus around Gronk as they'll need two people to bracket him.

The most important part of this injury is his availability if the Broncos move onto the Super Bowl. Maybe a week off will heal his shoulder enough to take the majority of snaps, especially if they end up playing Arizona.

Kayvon Webster will have to put on a very good performance too. He was shaky during the season and putting together a full game might be tough to ask. Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan need to both stay on the field in passing situations, if the team does not want to go very deep into the depth chart for corners. Both are very capable in coverage and should not be at a disadvantage because the Patriots play a lot of two tight end sets. Lorenzo Doss may make an appearance on the active roster this week because the team will need all depth available if Harris is re-injured during the game.